May I have a transfer?
One of the ways to determine if learning has been successful is if a student can leave the classroom environment and be able to apply what they have learned to their own work. In the world of learning this is called transfer.
My father taught college for many years. He was a successful and well-liked professor. After he had been teaching for a number of years he took a consulting job in his field. He found out that what he had been teaching all those years did not transfer to the real world. For college that's almost par for the course - for the rest of us - that's a HUGE problem.
One of the aspects we have taken into consideration when designing our courses was to ensure that what the students learn in our classes transfers back to the environment in which they will be using it. Not only do we try to present examples that reflect real applications of what is being taught but we also allow students to work on their own projects for Assignments. Students can then see for themselves how what they are learning applies to them and their situation.
Students are given a whole set of tools they can use to work through any challenge they may face. Many methods of presentation of a topic, many examples of how the knowledge can be applied and many types of assessment of knowledge help ensure that a student can apply what they are learning to a variety of situations. And if the resources that are available don't meet the student's needs then the instructor is there to share his or her own experiences and to help the students find additional resources.
Labels: instructional design
Use ALL of your Resources
One of the advantages of learning online is the wealth of resources available to you. In the classroom you have the teacher and maybe the book, if it's a good one. If your teacher allows you to talk in class you may also have your fellow students as a resource. And certainly NONE of those is available to you when it comes time to show what you have learned.
When you learn online you have a great variety of resources. I have found from my own experience that my learning is enriched the more resources I make use of.
Book - For most of the classes the main source of content is the book. The teacher here do a great job of choosing books that serve you well in class and serve as a great reference after the class.
Content - The content can frequently provide a different point of view from the book or a better explanation than what the book offers. I really appreciate the different approach or explanation and I always find a learn a thing or two I missed in the book.
Resources - The online resources provide great tips and further explanation of the topics. I sometimes spend the largest time in working through a lesson just reading all the resources and other links I find.
Classmates - It seems like each of has a different application for the course material. I love looking through the Assignments and reading the discussions posted by my classmates. I like hearing the different points of view and seeing all the ways the content can be applied. I am even grateful when a classmate asks a question that I was puzzling over myself. And it's great when a classmate answers a question I have posted. This is one learning environment where it is allowed - and encouraged - to talk to your classmates!
Yourself - I think in learning online you discover that your greatest resource is your own resourcefulness! Since you cannot usually get an instantaneous response, learning to use the other resources and doing your own research on the topic can be the greatest boost to your understanding of the topic. The class will end, but if you learn to rely on yourself to learn, answer questions and solve problems you have a valuable resource for life.
Teacher - Last - and definitely LEAST is your teacher. LEAST you ask? Yes, least. If you look at the online learning environment you find that the teacher is usually the least available resource you have. Yes, you can ask your teacher just about anything and get an answer but the answer may take a while and it may not be the answer you need if you did not do a good job in asking your question.
Before you ask your teacher for help, spend some time with your other resources:
- Check the Content and Resources for the lesson.
- Check the Questions and Comments for the lesson to see if a classmate asked the same question.
- Use your favorite search engine to research the topic.
- Post your question to the Question and Comments for the lesson and see if a classmate will answer. Even if the teacher answers you have left a resource for a classmate who may have the same question.
And the real joy is all of those resources are at your disposal to help with all the activities you complete for a lesson!
Labels: Students
Customizing Your Settings
When you first created your account at the classroom you filled in some information that was used to create your account. You can view and edit that information (and more!) through your profile.
After you log into the classroom, you will see your name in the very top right corner. Click on that and it takes you to the information that your classmates can see about you. Across the top of the profile are a series of tabs. Click on the tab which says "Edit Profile".
On the next screen you will see the form for editing the profile. The fields in red are required but any of the fields you can chose to enter or not.
Here are some of the fields you may be most interested in:
- Email display - choose who you want to be able to see your email address. This can help to maintain your privacy.
- Email activated - disable your email address and you will not receive any email from our system.
- Email format - choose whether to receive email in HTML or plain text format.
- Email digest - choose whether to receive emails as messages are posted in the classroom or just a summary once a day.
- Forum auto-subscribe - turn this on to automatically subscribe to a forum whenever you post a message.
- Forum tracking - turn this on to have any unread posts in your classroom highlighted for you.
- Font Size - Choose the font size you want to use as the base font for the site.
One of the options allows you to upload an image that will display when you post messages or assignments in the classroom. You can upload a photo or an image that you want to represent you. Click on the browse button and select the image you want to upload. Once it is uploaded the system will size it to fit the image area.
If you want your instructor or classmates to be able to contact you beyond the classroom, fill your web page or contact information in the Optional section.
When you have changed all the options you want, click on the Update profile button. Your changes will be saved and will take affect immediately.
We do respect your privacy and will not share any of your personal information with anyone. But do be aware that when you click on your name and view your profile that information is viewable by anyone who has an account on our classroom.
The Power of Seven
When I first started doing training, the company I worked for put us through a train-the-trainer session. One of the things from that session that has stuck with me for the last 20 years was the fact that it takes the average person seeing, hearing and doing something seven times for them to learn it.
Now, understanding averages as I do, I realized that for those, like me, who catch on after one or two times, there were those who took 12 or 13 times before they caught on. I always kid, when I have a student who apologizes for taking so long to catch onto something, that they are my
balancer and together we average to 7. Without them, I'd skew the average.
This is one of the reasons that our instructional strategy works so well. By working through the various activities of the course you are increasing the number of times you are exposed to the content. You have a chance to improve how well you learn the materials with each exposure.
- The first opportunity to learn is the demo. This shows you what can be done. It also gives you an idea of where the lesson is headed.
- Next you read through the content in the book. If there are examples in the book work through those as well
- Read through the online content and examples.
- Spend some time going through the online resources.
- Try it out on your own with the Practice.
- Spend some time discussing the topic with your classmates and you have.
- Apply what you have learned to your own project with the Assignment.
Still don't feel like you got it? Try these suggestions:
- Take a look at your classmates' projects in the Assignments
- Review more of the online resources
- Search for new resources.
- Ask your teacher for additional examples
If you still need more, go back through it all again!
Are you like me and catch on pretty quickly? Then use the learning opportunities to dig a little deeper into the subject.
- Investigate some of the areas of the topic that may not have been covered in the course content.
- Help your classmates that are your average balancers by posting examples you have created or found in your own research.
- Help your instructor answer questions from other students. They may encounter problems you had not.
Each exposure to the course content you have gives you a chance to learn something new! Take advantage of all these learning opportunities and you are sure to come away learning something new!
Spring into New Classes!
Like the plants and flowers in Spring, our course list is growing! We have new classes in web design, personal development and business skills.
The following courses are now available for enrollment!
Adobe InDesign - Need to create professional-looking documents and Word just won't do it? Adobe InDesign allows you to design and produce stunning documents on your desktop printer or using a professional printer. Or convert your documents to PDF format or publish them on a website. This class will walk you through setting up the InDesign workspace, adding text and graphics to your document, creating layouts with frames and applying formatting with styles.
Right on the Money- Personal and Practical Personal Finance - Today's ever changing financial situations require that solid and practical personal financial planning should be available to each person with income and responsibilities. This class is designed to provide that basic personal financial planning. The class provides a curriculum with the plans and procedures that will help anyone identify, understand and accomplish their financial goals. We cover basic personal financial planning, asset and credit management, savings/investment and retirement planning.
Don't see a course you want on our
list of courses? Let me know! We are always looking for new course ideas.
Have a skill you'd like to share? We are always looking for new course developers and teachers!
Show up Prepared for Class
I have heard from many people that one of the greatest advantages of learning online is the ability to learn in your pajamas, or underwear or whatever you decide is the most comfortable. And it seems like students seem to equate the lack of need to dress for class with the lack of need to show up prepared for class.
If anything you should make an effort to be very prepared for the first day of class!
And what should you bring with you to class? While you may think back to your days in school and think pencils, papers and books, you'd only be partially right.
Here's my list of things you should have ready the first day of class:
- Your learning tools: This means besides pencils, papers and books you will need to make sure you have a computer, connection to the internet and any software or other tools that the syllabus for your course suggest you have. If you have any questions about what is needed, ask your instructor!
- Time: Even though you are learning online and can learn anytime, day or night, you will be more successful if you schedule time on your calendar for attending class. Setting aside this time and letting those in your life know you will be attending class at that time will help you stay on top of the work and not fall behind.
- A backup plan: We all know how reliable computers can be - in a moment of crisis they are the weakest link in the chain. So, don't count on your regular computeror your regular internet connection. Have a backup plan, someplace you can go to complete your course work or at least let your instructor know what is going on. Most libraries offer internet access for free. The coffee shop around the corner from me has a computer I can use for free. Look for options so you will know what to do when the worst happens.
- Curiosity: When you learn online you don't have to learn just what the teacher tells you to learn. You can learn about any aspect of the topic of the class that interests you or that you find useful to you. And the expertise you acquire on those topics can be brought back to the class and shared with your classmates so they get to see an aspect of the topic they might never have otherwise.
You've heard me say many times before that you get out of an online class what you put into it. Being prepared for your class when it starts is definitely a way to start putting the best into your online learning experience from the very beginning.
I know I saw that somewhere! Finding Lost Posts
If you are in a class that has been very active in the discussion boards you may find yourself in the situation of trying to find the post you want to respond to or one that contains a link that you wanted to explore. Instead of searching through all the posts, you can use these tools:
Forum Search: On the left side of the classroom, just below the Activities block is the Forum Search block. Type in a word or phrase that might be found in the post you are looking for and click on the Search button. This will search all the posts in the class and return a list of the discussions with the matching text highlighted.
If this does not help or returns too many posts, you can use the Advanced Search link in the Forum Search block. This will bring you to a form that includes other search options, like exact phrase, date range, author name and more.
Profiles: You can view a list of posts by any person in your class, including your own. Click on the Participants link in the People block on the top left side of the main classroom screen. You will then see a list of participants in the class. Click on any name in the list to view more information about that person. Just above their information is two tabs. The second one says "Forum Posts". Click on that to see a list of posts by that person sorted with the most recent appearing first.
Hopefully these tips will help you to locate the missing information you need quickly.
Now, if finding stuff on my desk were so easy!
